Inching
by Silver Renagade
Summary: Dib is caught in a web of mind control and can't break free from under Zim's close watch.[ZADR] All characters in this story belong to Jhonen Vasquez
1. Chapter 1

Lights blurred as consciousness clashed with control. Nothing made sense as his eyelids closed languidly again. A placated sigh escaped his lips as his body relaxed into the soft bedding around him. He couldn't understand why he was so happy. So content. He couldn't remember anything at all, and yet he was filled with overwhelming bliss.

"Dib..." Amber eyes lazily opened to stare at the figure who spoke his name. Pale fingers skittered across the cotton bed sheets, slowly reaching towards the other boy, trying to grasp a hold of him and pull him to the bed. Green lips receded to reveal jagged teeth in a small wicked grin. The action pulled a small whimper from the pale form on the bed. "Good morning." The tall green teen approached the bed, tracing a finger along the other boy's jaw.

Dib moaned wantonly, his back arching at the small touch, knuckles whitening as his long slim fingers gripped the bed sheets beneath him. Consciousness lost at control took hold again, giving into all of the Irken's demands, whatever they may be. The Irken just smiled as his nimble claws crept along the boy's neck, finding their way to his collarbone and tracing the firm skin there. A wicked smile spread across his features at the moaning and thrashing his actions caused. He was such a needy little boy. Such a greedy little boy. Such an obedient little boy.

"Such a good little boy..." He was truly a genius. He finally had Dib under claw with a bit of mind control. He wasn't quite sure why he hadn't considered mind control before, but he shrugged the idea off. It wasn't important. The Dib was his now, a puppy on a leash. Nothing would separate him from dominating Earth or the boy now.

"I'm going to go plan now. Make yourself at him, Dib. Be a good little boy and don't wander far." He watched Dib nod and smiled, turning to walk out the door. Dib sat up slowly, still getting over the shivers Zim's fingers sent down his spine. His bare feet hit the carpet, his toes wriggling in the odd fabricated floor covering. Standing, he stretched and headed towards the kitchen, his tummy needing something to eat.

Something tugged at his mind as he made his way to the linoleum room. Something deep and dark. He shook his head, trying to forget whatever it was, but it wouldn't leave. He'd as Zim later. Usually he knew what it was. For some reason his base had odd effects on him, Zim said, and he had some medicine he could take for nearly anything the house did. So he didn't worry too much.

With a spoon full of cereal in his mouth, he gazed out the window and watched all the kids line up for skool. Zim said he never had to go to that shithole again if he just stayed in the house. Sometimes Zim would take him shopping, but usually he just stayed inside. He liked it better inside anyways, so it didn't bother him. All he had to do was clean up after himself and Zim would let him stay. He was always so kind.

Something tugged at his mind when he thought that. Like the statement was wrong...a lie. He frowned. Zim said to never bug him when he was planning, but he didn't like how the house was making him feel. He walked over towards the intercom, his long finger hesitating before pressing the speech button.

"Yes Dib?" Zim sounded annoyed and Dib's frown deepened. He momentarily forgot what he wanted to ask in favor of leaving Zim to his work, but the Irken would only get further annoyed.

"Zim, I feel funny again. But this time I really don't like it. It's making me think really bad things..." Dib looked down at the ground, waiting for scolding and hoping that Zim would still give him some medicine for it. To his surprise, Zim didn't yell.

"What kind of things, Dib?" Dib thought a moment, trying to decipher exactly what his mind was telling him. It was hard because it was jumbled and barely coherent.

"Like...I shouldn't trust you. I know that's a lie, but I still don't like that I'm thinking it..." That's the only clear thought he could make out. Down in his lab, Zim frowned at that. Pressing the speech button with a claw, he gathered a bottle of pills.

"I'll bring you a few pills you can take, okay?" without waiting for an answer, he removed his goggles and headed up the elevator. It wasn't good that Dib was waking up. That wouldn't bode well. He'd have to make the pills stronger to keep a hold of the Dib's brain, lest he lose control. 

Dib, like a good little boy, took the pills and washed them down with a sip from his bottled water. Zim kept it around purely for Dib's survival and if he ever spilt any, he would be severly punished. Dib was always careful. He thanked Zim as he watched the teen head down the elevator again. Now that he wouldn't hear those thoughts again, he finished off his cereal and dressed.

Usually he watched TV or played with GIR when Zim didn't need him during the day, but he felt like drawing instead. Grabbing a paper and a pencil, he sat down at the table and bit his bottom lip lightly, trying to decide what to draw. Nothing was coming to him as he sighed and lied his head on his arms on the table. Whenever he wanted to draw, he could never figure out what. Maybe he'd draw Zim.

He frowned at his work once he was done. It looked like a kindergartener drew it. Crumpling the paper up, he grabbed another piece, trying again. After his 23rd or 24th paper ball, he finally threw the pencil across the room, letting out a frustrated yell. Why couldn't he draw? Even his sister had confided that he was fairly good at drawing! Now all he could do was stick figures and circles. He felt like crying, but he didn't.

"Dib. I need you to run to the store and pick up some paper clips." Dib looked towards the intercom before rushing over and pressing the speech button.

"Okay! I'll be back in a few!" He loved running errands for Zim, because it made him feel useful. Grabbing his wallet and his trench coat, he headed out the door and down the bleak sidewalk.

Meanwhile, Zim couldn't finish what he was working on without the items he sent Dib to retrieve so he headed upstairs to fetch a muffin. His ruby gaze wandered over the kitchen as he stepped out of the elevator and stopped on a piece of paper on the table. He approached the table, staring down at the picture. It was a sloppy picture of himself, Gir and Dib, all smiling. It was odd and Zim tilted his head to see if it looked better from a different angle. He stepped backwards to get a better look when his antennae perked at the sound of crumpled paper. Looking down, he became confused by all the paper balls littering that corner.

He began unfolding them all, one by one, only to look at millions and millions of Zim sketches. He wasn't quite sure what to make of them. Dib had drawn them all, no doubt, but why? Gathering the papers up, he sent them down the shoot to his room. He wanted to keep the creepy sketches. He didn't know why, he just did. He left the drawing on the table in it's place as he grabbed a muffin, sitting on the couch.

Now he waited for his Dib to return.


	2. Chapter 2

Pale fingers pulled the wallet from his pocket, a bright smile on his face as he bought the item Zim had asked for. Taking the bag and tucking the money back in his jeans, he headed out the door, turning down the road towards his new home. Humming to himself, he window shopped on his way, stopping to admire a sleek black trench coat. His was old and ripped and didn't really fit anymore, but he didn't have nearly enough money to buy it. Sighing, he ran the rest of the way home, wanting to get praise from Zim.

Amber eyes stared longingly into ruby as the Irken took the items from Dib. He reached up and ruffled the boy's hair in appreciation before heading back down to his lab. Dib smiled brightly and, once Zim was out of the room, began to sing a little tune. His life was pretty damn good and he couldn't be happier. But something started to bug him again.

_'Don't listen…'_ Dib stopped and shook his head, trying to get rid of the voices. _'He's bad.' 'He's an alien.' 'He wants to kill you.'_ Dib sat down and began to draw again, pulling his attention away from the voices that lied. But it didn't stay there long.

_'He hates you.'_

"No he doesn't." Dib was glaring at the table now, a deep frown on his face. "He's told me time and time again how much he enjoys me. He doesn't hate me." He waited a few minutes, waited for the voices to flare up again, but they stayed quiet. Satisfied with this, he began to draw again. This picture was looking far better than all his other ones, so the smile that had disappeared came back to life on his face.

_'You have to believe me Dib.'_

With a frustrated yell, he threw the pencil down against the table, gripping his head and shutting his eyes. They wouldn't leave him alone. Why was the medicine wearing off so soon? What was wrong with him? Getting up, he slammed his hand down upon the speech button.

"Zim, the voices are back. Zim, I really need you. I'm really sorry but-" Zim cut him short with an okay and Dib frowned sadly, letting the button go. He waited at the elevator, tapping his foot and switching from leg to leg, anything to keep his attention somewhere other than his mind. When Zim appeared, Dib's frown didn't leave his features. Zim walked him over to the couch and handed him a glass of water. He pulled a bottle from his pocket and handed him three pills.

"That should take care of them. I'm going to make a stronger batch so that they stay away. I'm also working on a permanent cure for it, alright?" He placed a hand on Dib's head, inwardly tossing his cookies at the affectionate gesture. He hated all that gooey stuff he saw on the tee vee, but if it eased the Dib's mind into his control, than he'd have to suffer a bit. All for the sake of the Irken Empire, yes?

Dib looked up at Zim after he had taken the pills. "Alright." Looking down at the floor, he knew he shouldn't ask what he was about to. Last time Zim refused to see him for a full week. It was horrible, but he wanted to know. "Are you going to be coming up soon?" His eyes never left the floor, wincing a little in preparation for the Irken to yell at him.

"Soon." Zim was tired and frustrated and didn't plan on working for more than another hour. His plan, no matter how brilliant it was, was taking a long time to complete. He hadn't had any decent sleep in the past week, but that was partially to…other activities as well. "In about an hour, okay Dib?" Raising to his feet, he headed back towards the elevator. "If those somehow wear off, tell me." With that, he disappeared beneath the floor, leaving Dib alone again.

It wasn't good that those pills wore off so quickly. That meant that he was getting stronger. If he broke loose, his plans would be ruined completely. He needed a way to restrain him fully, at least until the Earth was under Irken control. He would use tomorrow to plan out the retrovirus. Tonight he was going to complete the plans for his second step in world domination.

This was surely the greatest plan any Irken had ever come up with. It was simple enough a smeet could accomplish it, yet dangerous enough it could blow up the entire Earth and Irk in one big explodey ball of DOOM if not executed correctly. The slightest miscalculation would end everything in this small universe called 'The Milky Way'. He loved it.

The dangers that came with his plans gave him such thrills and chills it was near orgasmic. Nothing could compare to the rush he received when he lit off an entire cart of fireworks that 4th. Nothing could override the giddy excitement he felt when he blew up half of the skool with himself still inside. No, nothing could ruin the scares that ran threw him when he let loose that monster dog last Halloween and it chased everyone including himself. Just thinking about it sent chills up his spine and brought a devilish grin to his face.

His nimble claws flew across the Irken keyboard, typing in code after code into his modeling program. He was planning the schematics for the bombs he'd be creating. Everything had to be precise. Everything had to be flawless. All of it, right down to the size of the detonator. He was so involved in his work that he didn't notice the time. By the time his eyes rose to glance at the clock, it was one a.m.

"Dammit."


	3. Chapter 3

His ruby eyes scanned the snoring form lying against the table. He was going to get a horrible kink in his neck and it was mainly his fault. Quietly and gently, he picked the Earth-boy up and carried him into his room, gently resting him in the big bed. Tucking the lithe form in, he sighed. Why he cared was beyond him, but he did. Maybe it was simply the guilt of promising the boy he'd be up earlier and then not showing, but that never bothered him before. The boy would have to understand.

He slipped off his boots and slipped into bed, curling his form around the nearby body pillow. He wasn't much for cuddling, and even less for cuddling the huuman boy, but his arms always felt so empty…He finally caved in and bought them both a body pillow. One for himself to subdue the desperate need to cling to something and the other to soothe the boy's loneliness while he worked in his lab. He noticed that the Earth monkey needed a lot of things.

He needed food and…water…but those were common sense. What he didn't understand and still couldn't quite grasp was why the boy needed more than one pair of clothing. His uniform had always been just enough for himself. But the boy insisted he needed new ones, so the Irken submitted and took him shopping. He also found the huuman needed pajamas, socks and underwear. What a troublesome trip of arguing, bitching and whining that was. He vowed never to shop with the boy again.

He needed entertainment beyond the TV. Dib never was much for the mindless idiot box anyway, so he should have figured. What he hadn't counted on was how much "entertainment" the boy needed. He had at least a library full of books now. Paper and pencils galore and a computer that had very limited access to anything. The last thing he needed was for the boy to gain control and wreck his base from the computer.

So, after all of those "needs" were filled, he figured the boy didn't need him anymore. He was wrong.

This thing called…affection…was very complicated to learn at first. The boy always acted like he was just fine being on his own, but then complained that Zim was always in his lab. After searching around, the Irken finally found why the Dib acted like that. The snuggles and cuddles and…yech…hugs…were very hard to add to his lifestyle of beating the boy, but he had to endure.

Then the huuman decided that the hugs and snuggles weren't enough and had stolen a kiss from the Irken's lips. That's when Zim decided never to drop his guard. Especially around a Dib that had a few drinks of wine. That night the boy also decided to attempt in showing the Irken intimacy. Zim decided that whatever was between a huuman's legs should NEVER see the light of day. How one could reproduce with such a…a…small piece of machinery was beyond Zim, but he was not going to question it's…hangy…slimy…noodle-like mysteries.

And now, because of these huuman emotions, Zim had become accustomed to having his thin arms wrapped around the form of the boy. Not wanting to admit this, he bought the pillows. It was an easy excuse and the boy bought it quickly. He was just uncomfortable was all. Yes, that's it. Nothing to it.

His eyelids slipped shut languidly as exhaustion slowly over took him, his last conscious thought consisting of Dib and his own thin arms wrapped around something warm.

Morning light filtered through the drapes Dib had put on the window. With a groan, the Irken rolled over and lazily opened his ruby eyes, only to find himself staring at the ginormous head of his rival. Unaware and incoherent with sleep, he leaped to his feet, extending four long spider limbs from his PAK. With a snarl he lunged at the Earth boy, the meat-sacks eyes snapping open as he wildly threw himself out of the way. With a cry, Zim quickly caught himself and turned, lifting himself high in the air. Posing one mechanical leg over the Dib, he plunged it downward. Only inches away from the huuman's face it stopped as Zim realized why his enemy was in his home.

Dib's wide frightened eyes watched the Irken's every move, his breath caught in his throat in fear. He could feel tears welling up but dared not move his arms to wipe his eyes for fear he'd lose his head to an unforgiving spider claw. Once Zim had slowly removed his spider limbs from the surrounding atmosphere, Dib let out the breath he had been holding, gasping desperately for oxygen.

Zim simply watched before slowly making his way to the kitchen. The boy was probably hungry.

When Dib finally regained his composure, he made his way to the table where the smell of bacon and eggs wafted from, his nose leading him as usual.


	4. Chapter 4

A heavy sigh filtered from his mouth as he slouched on the floor. What was he going to do with himself? Looking around the empty room he was sitting in, he watched the screen in front of him as the "other" Dib followed his enemy around like a love-sick puppy. Gritting his teeth, he looked away. He had lost contact with himself yet again thanks to those pills that alien kept feeding his body.

"Dammit." Standing up, he walked bare-footed along the white tiled floor, opening the door to the white hallway on the other side. It was a push door, no handle, which was good. When had woken up for the first time in this odd place that apparently was his inner mind. Or at least his "other" inner mind…he still couldn't figure it out. But anyway. The point was that he found himself in a strait jacket. So his hands were useless.

"I'm talking to myself again…" Sighing again, he shook his head and wandered down the corridor, pushing the next door open to the large white parking-lot type room. It was empty with multiple pillars lined in rows decorating the odd room. And, like the rest of the complex that he couldn't find a way out of, was blinding white.

He approached the old rusted speaker, pressing the "speak" button with his hip again. He waited for the crackling to stop, trying to decide what to say this time. Hearing his the small bell ring through out the room, indicating he could speak, he inhaled deeply.

"Dib?" He stood there, listening to his voice echo from the million speakers hidden in the room, reverberating off the walls eerily. He watched the speaker through a half-lidded gaze, hoping but not expecting an answer.

"…who are you…?" His amber eyes lit up as he heard his outside self answer.

"I'm you, Dib." He replied eagerly, watching the speaker to his left. "You. I'm trapped, Dib."

"…Zim said I'm not supposed to talk to you, you know. You would know if you were me." Dib frowned.

"I know that." He furrowed his brows. "But it's very important that you listen to me. I mean, it's not good if you can't trust yourself, right…?" His frown deepened.

"No, not really…but you're not me." He sighed. 'Here we go again,' he thought to himself, rolling his eyes. "Zim said you're just the way the house makes me think."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. We've been through this a million times." Closing his mouth, he thought out his next sentence carefully. "But just listen for a moment, okay? How can I remember these things if the pills that Zim has you take make me disappear…?"

Silence. Good.

"Exactly." Grinning, he exhaled slowly. "See? You need to trust me now."

"All right…"

"Run."

He frowned, panicking almost as the bell sounded to let him know he lost connection. He jogged to the screen room, hoping that the boy took his advice. Bursting through the door, he watched as his body did indeed run. But, much to his dismay, he ran into Zim's arms, sobbing about the voices. Gritting his teeth, he glared at the two on the screen.

"Dammit." He kicked at the wall beside him, cracking the solid object with a satisfying sound. "DAMMIT!!" He gave a devastating round house to one of the screens in the room, watching the glass shatter to the ground, his right eye twitching slight.

"I'm going to kill him…" he growled lowly. "I'll kill them both." With that, he sat back down solemnly amongst the glass, watching idly the screen in front of him again.


End file.
